Technical Abstract:
In this analysis tillage management practices and the use of green-sprouted and non-sprouted potato tubers were examined to determine their economic efficacy in accelerating crop development in short-season potato production areas. Three tillage systems, raised bed, fall ridge tillage, and spring chisel plow, in combination with green-sprouted and non-sprouted tubers were evaluated. Enterprise budgets for each combination were developed and using experimental yield results the net return for each combination was determined. Two years of data were analyzed. The systems showed varied results with respect to yield and quality depending on seasonal moisture patterns. An economic simulation model incorporating stochastic budgeting techniques to address uncertainty was developed to analyze the effects of tillage system, tuber treatment, and rainfall on potato yield, quality and net return. The results show that raised beds and green-sprouted seed can be competitive with the other systems analyzed due to higher yields and higher quality during seasons with normal rainfall. Furthermore, the raised bed and green-sprouted tuber system exhibited less income variability and financial risk. In drier years, the positive yield and quality differentials did not exist. In addition to moisture availability, the competitiveness of the raised bed and green-sprouted system depends on finding a source of moderately priced green-sprouted tubers.